The Eternal Avenger

Chapter Twenty-Two: Return

(Wanda's POV):

We filed into the room, leading Bridgit directly to Claray. As I approached the glass, I could feel the remnants of her previous taunts, and caught myself hesitating. Bridgit gripped my arm, and smiled. "She didn't mean it, Wanda," she assured me. I nodded. Mean it or not, however, the words stuck, and it would be a lie to say it didn't hurt. Claray's eyes traveled around the room, finally settling on Bridgit. It did not have the desired effect. She immediately jumped to her feet, snarling. I saw Bridgit's eyes go red, and she looked over at the rest of us. "You've been feeding her human blood regularly?" She asked. We nodded. She sighed, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, that's going to make it a little more complicated," she sighed again.

"Why's that?" I asked, perching on the back of the couch we set up for observation.

"Human blood makes us stronger than normal," Bridgit explained, removing her jacket. "Claray especially, since she's so much older. Typically, Vampires only need to feed irregularly to maintain their strength or to heal. If she's been drinking human blood regularly..."

"Daily," Natasha whispered. We all looked at her, eyes wide.

"You've been feeding her?" I asked, spinning to the ginger. She nodded.

"Nat," Steve approached, "why would you do that?" Natasha sighed.

"Steve, if we had Bucky in this cage, would you want us to starve him?" Steve frowned before nodding in understanding.

"But whose blood?" Tony asked. Natasha glared at him.

"Mine, Tin Man," she snarked. I couldn't help it, I touched Natasha's shoulder, and a wave of her feelings washed over me.

"You need to go to medical after this," I leaned down, whispering to her. She felt weak, and aside from that, she felt hopeless. The feeling broke my heart. Natasha was the epitome of strength on the team normally, and seeing her this upset was wrecking me. There was something else, too, but before I could explore further, Natasha brushed my hand off of her shoulder as she approached the glass. Claray ignored her completely, eyes focused solely on the other vampire in the room. Bridgit approached the heavy door, opening the latches and swinging it outward with ease.

"Wanda," she started, looking over her shoulder at me. I looked up. "If I need to, can I draw power from you?" I nodded. Natasha moved behind her, closing and latching the door securely as she entered. We all stood near the windows, watching, and it felt as though all of us were holding our breath.

What happened next was a bit of a blur, and I mean that literally. Claray and Bridgit were moving around the room so quickly that it was difficult following them visually. I looked to my right and noticed that, out of all of us, Vision seemed to be keeping up the best, his pale blue eyes moving in his head at a pace that made me feel dizzy. Finally, I gasped as I felt something similar to a shock. Bridgit and Claray had reached a standstill, each of them had a hand around the other's throat, and Bridgit had her hand extended towards me. She was pulling power from me, and I hadn't even done anything. My eyes opened wide. "Wanda, hold her," she called through the glass. I nodded, holding my hands up and aiming at the hybrid, who was now suspended in midair. Bridgit chanted softly, and Claray's head tilted back in a scream. Natasha's eyes opened wide and she let out a gasp of horror as Claray's eyes began to water, then as tears began streaming down in waves. The tears were tinged with redness – blood, it looked like. Natasha had the door unlatched and open before any of the rest of us could move, and she reached Claray just as the hybrid collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Bridgit stood there, winded, leaning against the wall slightly to catch her breath.

"Did you? Is she?" I asked, as I approached the open doorway. Bridgit looked over at me, smiled and then nodded. I rushed to the hybrid, squatting down beside Natasha. Claray's sobs were heart wrenching.